Lisa Donnelly, a legacy of stories in song

The world is full of people who can tell a good story. But rarer is the person who can be both introspective and outwardly observant in song. The news of the passing of singer-songwriter Lisa Donnelly was a shock. Donnelly had graced us with a stunning legacy of those realistic and thoughtful songs. The kind of pop music you can climb into and relate. Maybe not the way the storyteller had intended but so goes the open versatility this artist allowed.

I thought about the one song that, in my opinion, captures these thoughts and without hesitation, I landed on “Laugh”. A track taken from Donnelly’s brilliantly beautiful album We Had A Thing. Over the years I have interpreted the lyrics to fit my needs. Directed short films in my head that made sense. Scenes I’ve been a part of. At a gathering with a stranger in my ear evaluating my life, nonchalantly passing unwanted judgment, theories and thoughts of who I should or could be. My foibles laid out like stained memories to be picked over by my weathered new ‘friend’. Daunting and real.